Lingerie exhibitors hail successful Moda

Moda Lingerie and Swimwear AW14 has been hailed as a success, despite an apparent lower turnout compared to previous seasons.

Widespread flooding delayed trains and caused traffic jams across the country earlier this month, meaning some buyers were not able to attend the three-day show, held at the NEC in Birmingham from February 16.

But exhibitors have reported a solid show, with many writing orders with new and existing customers who “raved” about their products.

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Curvy Kate head of sales Rachel Jenkins said: “The overall results for Curvy Kate at this year’s Moda show are extremely positive. Although the footfall did seem lower than usual, this was partly due to the weather which may have put some people off."

“We saw an excellent result versus last year and a rise in sales made over the three days. It was a pleasure for us to hear the positive feedback about the new collection," she added.

Wirefree lingerie brand Royce said it opened one new account and saw three other potential new customers at Moda. Marketing executive Gemma Deering told Lingerie Insight: “Moda was a really good show for us. The exhibition generally seemed quieter than normal, but we were pleased to have a busy stand giving us the opportunity to show our new products to lots of customers.”

Chantelle Lingerie managing director Mary Cameron agreed that the show seemed to be quieter than usual. Nonetheless, the brand saw quality customers who were "very" positive about the AW14 collections, she said.

"Moda continues to be an important event for us; it is a great opportunity to get an overview of brands’ collections, focus on the brand without interruptions and see the products on a model. Our customers appreciated seeing our products on a large cup model at our stand this season which piqued their interest in some additional sizes and cuts."

Fashion Forms, meanwhile, saw a rise in dress shops opening new accounts with the brand, compared to previous shows.

“I think that with the backless dress still being at the forefront of fashion, people really need our solutions,” said the label’s UK merchandiser Grace Betteridge.

"Retailers may now consider more options thanks to our extensive range of products, whereas before, they may have had customers dismissing a dress because they didn’t know our solutions existed," said Berreridge, adding that many buyers sought out Fashion Forms at Moda after seeing the brand sponsor the UK Lingerie Awards last year.

Alterego, a UK distributor of Polish lingerie brands including Roza and Gracya, said its Moda stand was “busy from the off”.

“The first day on the Alterego stand was bedlam, with periods when we found we were too understaffed to be able to deal with everyone’s enquiries all at once,” said Altego managing director Alan Gordon-Freeman.

“We did things a little differently this time; we semi partitioned off the erotic brands from the others to give an ‘alter’ and ‘ego’ effect, and it worked a treat. Whilst the biggest success was Gracya’s bridal collection, and new lines were debuted in the Roza and Irall collections, there was a huge increase in ‘mainstream’ lingerie retailers wanting to try some erotic lingerie and nightwear.”

Patricia Eve said buyers responded positively to its lingerie and shapewear brands.

“Blackspade Ultimate Maxi received rave reviews,” said Patricia Eve coownwer Chris Eve. “The new Naomi & Nicole ‘Wear Your Own Bra Slip’ was also met with great approval, as was the new sexy sheer options in Miraclesuit.”

Gossard, voted the nation’s favourite lingerie brand at the UK Lingerie Awards in 2013, said there was a “huge buzz” around its stand for the “whole show”.

“We had a great Moda this year. It was also good to see a variety of audiences there, from trade professionals to media and bloggers, demonstrating the wide appeal and interest in our brands,” said Gossard managing director Tony Jarvis.